Pentaro
is a video game character created by Konami, originally appearing in 1990 in the game Parodius Da! ~Shinwa kara Owarai e~. A male penguin, he is the son of the penguin referred to as just , later named who originally appeared in 1983 in Antarctic Adventure, but subsequently became the protagonist of Penguin Adventure and Yume Penguin Monogatari ("Penguin Dream Story"), and a playable character in Parodius for the MSX. Pentaro's name is a portmanteau of "penguin" and "tarō", which is a very common boys' name often used in Japanese folk tales. Occupation Pentaro has made most of his appearances in the Parodius series of games, where he was a selectable character in every title from Parodius Da! ~Shinwa kara Owarai e~ onward, with the exception of Sexy Parodius. In that title, he plays the role of a boss at the mercenary company where all the Parodius characters are employed. He handles the negotiations and gives out the assignments to the other characters. He works in an office, specifically at a desk that he can barely see across, where he utilizes a typewriter constantly. As Pentaro cannot fight himself in this game, he hires Ivan and Toby, two penguin commandos, to take his place. Appearance Pentaro's feathers are always blue. Later on, as pictured in the cartoon drawings of the Parodius games, he wears a flak jacket and wields a carbine. It's possible that he picked up the shooting skills learned by his father during the course of events in Penguin Adventure, as one of the most facilitating items during the course of the game is a gun. Love life Pentaro acquired a mate in the Parodius series; a female penguin named Hanako (which means "little flower"). Hanako is a common Japanese girl's name. She's similarly colored as Penko (Pentaro's mother), although her feathers are closer to magenta than pink, and in some games appear orange. It's unknown if Pentaro has any children, although one could conjecture that the Options he uses in the Parodius games, pictured as small penguins, are in fact his offspring. Appearances *1990 – Parodius Da! ~Shinwa kara Owarai e~ (arcade, MSX, Super Famicom, Game Boy, PC Engine, mobile phones) – One of the selectable characters *1993 - Violent Storm (arcade) *1994 – Gokujō Parodius! ~Kako no Eikō o Motomete~ (arcade, Super Famicom) – One of the selectable characters *1995 – Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius (Super Famicom, PlayStation) – One of the selectable characters *1996 – Sexy Parodius (arcade, Sega Saturn, PlayStation) – Is the boss, and perhaps owner, of the Parodius mercenary organization. *1996 - Balloon Penta *1997 - Imo Hori Penta *1997 – Paro Wars (PlayStation) – One of the selectable characters *1998 - Little Pirates (pachislot) - Pentaro join a Pirate Penguin *2000 - CR Parodius Da!/Parodius Da! EX (pachinko) *2001 - Hie Hie Penta: Ice Cream Catcher (merchandiser) *2003 - Frogger's Journey: The Forgotten Relic (Game Boy Advance) - Pentaro together with his cousin Mohan. *2004 - Deadly Skies III (PlayStation 2) - Unlockable aircraft *2004 - Penta no Tsuri Bōken DX (mobile phone) *2006 - CR Gokujō Parodius (pachinko) *2008 – New International Track & Field (Nintendo DS) – One of the selectable Konami characters. *2008 - Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero (2008 - Nintendo DS): Among the characters, there is a penguin which might be based on Pentaro. *2009 - Krazy Kart Racing (iOS) - Pentaro as a playable racer. *2010 - Gokuraku Parodius! (pachislot) Gallery PentaroParodiusDaSFC1.jpg|Pentaro in Parodius Da! PentaroParodiusDaSFC2.jpg|Pentaro in Parodius Da! PentarouX68k.jpg|Pentaro in Parodius Da! PentaroSFCcover.jpg|Pentaro in Parodius Da! PentaroHanako.jpg|Pentaro and Hanako in Gokujou Parodius PentaroJikkyou.jpg|Pentaro in Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius HanakoJikkyou.jpg|Hanako in Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius PentaroJikkyou.png|Pentaro in Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius Hanako.png|Hanako in Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius PentaroNITF.png|Pentaro in New International Track & Field PentarouKKR.png|Pentaro in Krazy Kart Racing Pentarou.png Pentarou.gif References Category:Male characters Category:Penguins Category:CR Parodius characters Category:Gokujō Parodius! characters Category:Gokuraku Parodius! characters Category:Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius characters Category:Paro Wars characters Category:Parodius Da! characters Category:Sexy Parodius characters